Dairying is an important source of income for millions of rural families and has assumed an important role in providing employment and income generating opportunity for the vulnerable sections of our population. For millions of small and marginal farmers as well as landless labourers, milk production provides ready cash in hand for fulfilling their daily household requirements. Milk and milk products are also an essential part of the diet of majority of Indians, providing an important source of proteins and other nutrients. Indian dairy co-operative movement became a shining example of success due to wisdom and toil of our farmers, visionary leadership of Late Dr. Verghese Kurien and tremendous encouragement and support extended by successive Governments at Union and State level.

The initiative and wisdom of our farmers who organised themselves into dairy co-operatives, created the three-tier ‘Anand’ cooperative model and ultimately inspired ‘Operation Flood’, unleashing white revolution in this country. Operation Flood helped in replicating the successful Anand pattern co-operative model in Kerala. Over the last 3 decades, the entrepreneurial spirit and hard work of our farmers has enabled Kerala to achieve tremendous strides in dairy sector and also to build up Kerala’s own food brand “Milma”. Over the years, Milma has expanded, diversified, channelized into new areas, over new dimensions, onto new challenges. Today it has become the harbinger of progress and prosperity of the dairy farmers of the State of Kerala.

We acknowledge and appreciate the tremendous faith and trust that farmers and consumers have placed in us, over the last three decades. We are conscious of our time-bound responsibility to increase milk production and we will make every effort to ensure that the interest of farmers and consumers are protected. We are confident that we will succeed in our endeavour with positive and continued encouragement and support from all quarters, including our policy makers.